Brooder



Jan. 2, 1923. 5 1,440,755. 0. u. WINBERG. v

BROODER. FILED lULY3l, I919.

WITNESSES [$02M BY treats CHARLES one winenne, or snarrrn, wasrarne'ron. i

' Bnoonnn.

Application filed July 31] T 0 all whom it may concern Be it known that 1, CHARLES U. Winners,

a citizen of the United States, residing at Seattle, in the county of King and State of Washington, have invented a new and useful Brooder, of which the following is a specification.

This invention has reference to brooders, and its object is to provide an electrically heated breeder of simple construction which may be placed in any desirable position Where electric current is available.

Many farms are equipped with local power and lighting systems of relatively low voltage and the ,broode'r 'is designed to work on such voltage with the heating elements producing a black heat of about the same degree as the body heat of a hen, with provision for reducing the'heat as required.

In accordance with the invention a hood or roofing is provided and arranged to. constitute a housing for the electric heating elements, with the housing so shaped as to direct the heat downwardly in the same manner as would occur in the case of chicks protected by a hen. In order to protect the chicks from drafts, the housing, which is somewhat elevated by legs or hanging means, is provided with a skirt or curtain hanging below the roof or cover and acting to more or less confine the heat similarly to the effect of the feathers of the hen. By providing a multi-point switch the heat may be readily regulated, and by providing a screen of wire fabric or the like direct contact of the chicks'with the heating unit is prevented. Y

The invention will be best understood from a-consideration of the following detailed description taken in connection with the accompanying drawing forming part of this specification, withthe understanding, however, that theinvention is not confined to any strict conformity with the showing of the drawing, but may be changed and modified so long as such changes and modifications mark no material departure from the salient features of the invention as expressed in the appended claims.

In the drawing Figure 1 is a perspective view of the brooder in position for use.

Figure 2 is an inverted view of the brooder with the curtain omitted.

Figure 3 is a diametric section through the roof or hood portion of the brooder,

2 which usually sufficient.

1919. Serial no. 314,536.

with the curtain omitted, and drawn on a larger scale than the other figures.

Referring to the drawing, there is shown a roof or metal and is preferably, though not neces sarily, of conical form, the hood having its apex upwardly when in use. At the apex of the hood there is provided a loop may be a swivel loop, although such particular" arrangement is not obligatory." The purpose of the loop 2 is to permit thesuspension ofthe brooder from a higher point. Fast to the outer or rim portion of the roof or hood 1 are legs?) permitting hood 1 which may be made of thebrooder to be supported upon a surface,

the legs being of appropriate length to raise the roof 1 to a. suitable height. 'The legs '3 may be conveniently formed of bent wire,

or maybe otherwise formed. In order to stiffen the outermargin of the roof it may;

be'provided with a bead 4. f I

East to the inner wall of the roof 1 is an appropriate number of insulating knobs 5, the ordinary'porcelain knobs of commerce] being convenient for this purpose. The knobs '5 are distributed in such a manner that a strand 6 of resistance wire may be carried between and about them with the turns suitably separated to distribute the wire over the inner surface of the roof out of contact therewith. The wire has insulated terminal portions 7 carried through a bushing 8 to the exterior of the roof and there may. be connected to a multi-point electric switch 9, a threepoint switch being suitable conducting cord 10 provides for the connection of the switch 9 to some appro priate source of electriccurrent, either a commercial service line or a local source Exterior to the-roof a such as is frequently found upon farms,

therefore needing no description.

. The resistance wlre 6-1s1nset for a short distance into the 1nter1or of. the hood or.

roof 1* while the lower portion of the roof is covered by a gauze screen1'16'provided with'a marginal frame 11 held 'to'the roof by clips 12 riveted orotherwis'e fastened to the roof. the roof screws 13 may beused.

Carried by the roof 1 about the margin thereof is a curtain 14: of some flexible material such as cloth, and dropping to a point where it is protective to chicks under the roof, but stops short of the surface over which the roof is placed by asufficient dis- In order to hold the knobs 5 to cheapest type oi? brooder .ing on electricity for tance to permit the chicks to find their way under the curtain in passing to and from the brooder.

W hen the chicks are young they need con siderable heat, say, in the neighborhood of 90 F. and when the chicks get older the heat may be reduced to F. This is readily controlled by the multi-point so that when the latter is set for high temperature the heat will reach 90 and when set for low heat it need not exceed 70 F.

The device is of a simple, relatively cheap, construction, permitting changes in the heat supply, and the resistance wire for the desired degree of heat will at all times remain black, that is, below red heat. v The resist ance. wire may cover a considerable area and therefore distribute the heat quite evenly over the interior or the brooder, thev heat being reflected downwardly-upon the chicks dueto the conical or similar shape of the roof. This effect may be enhanced byhaving the inner faceof the roor heat-refleeting as would be the. case it the roof were made of tin plate or some other material with a polished, smooth, bright surface.

While the roof 1 is shown of conical form, it willbe understood that it may be of other form whereby it will house the electric heating elements or units and at the same time reflect or direct the heat downwardly upon chicks located under the root, i

The principal. advantage accruing ironi the use of the presentv brooder is its low operating expense. Because the wires are never allowed to rise above a black heat, the current consumption is extremely small, costing tor the smallest size of seventy-live cents a month. This amount may be compared with; the cost of the using kerosene oil which costs nearly four dollars per 'month.

The vpresent device was especially designed to operate on a low voltage circuit, say oi? thirty-live 'volts, lightplant circuit. Other brooders,dependheat either employ. incandescent lamps, whose heating value is designed very sistance wires along with thermostats and other complicated apparatus to break the circuit when the breeder gets too warm. Brooders like these last are necessarily expensive because of the high operating expense and are disadvantageous.in being diilb switch 9 bro 0 der about or on any Delco.

low, or else havered hot re cult to adjust to changing weather conditions except by one experienced with electrical apparatus.

The present invention provides an easy and inexpensively constructed brooder, ex ceedingly simple to assemble and to repair; cheap in first cost, and low in operating expense. It differs from all. other brooders in using a resistance which is never allowed to rise above a black heatand yet which radiates enough heatito keep the chickens warm as though the mother hen were sheltering I them. It does not overheat their bac rs, but distributes a uniformand gentle heat which is reflected downwardly bythe hood.

black heat they do not emit light, as" red Moreover since the wiresare at'a hotwireswill do, a feature appreciated by like to hover in; 7 dark,-

agetosaid wire whereby it never risesabove a black heat,-:and a 1nulti-pointswitch.pro-

vided on the outside of the hood and incucuit with "he resistance wire for diminishing or. cutting off entirely the. said current.

2.-In a breeder, a. conical hood that re flectsiheat waves downwardly, a plurality otylegs supporting the brooder .and depend.-

ingntrom the hood,'a protecting screen sccured. tothelower edge of thehood, acurtain depending from the hood outside 3 of thelegs but having a Width less than the height Oil the legs, a plurality of insulators removably mounted. on and within the hood, anzelectrical resistance means connecting the insulators and spaced fro'mthe hood proper as well as from the lower edge thereof, means for supplying a current to said wire,

whereby the wire never rises abovea blaclr heat and amulth oint switch )rovided on the. outslde of "the hood for diminishing or q cutting off entirely said current. v.

in testimony thatl claimthe foregoing ture.

Witnesses H. EGmanrsn'rnn, W. J. DAUGHERTY.

the hood above the bottom, a

mounted on CHARLES Uno. winnuns.. 

